By: Shayne Benowitz
With miles of sublime shoreline and palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze, Miami Beach is a world-class destination for soaking up the sun. There’s certainly no shortage of gorgeous oceanfront resorts to choose from for your dream vacation, but a few stand out as particularly idyllic. Read on for our guide to Miami Beach’s best oceanfront resorts.
The elevated pool deck at 1 Hotel South Beach
1 Hotel South Beach
An eco-chic luxury resort spanning an entire city block, 1 Hotel South Beach is a stylish oasis of tranquility boasting 600 linear feet of oceanfront real estate. The elevated pool deck offers sublime ocean views and three different pools for lounging, swimming and sunning where you can enjoy fresh fish tacos from Sandbox or vegan fare from Plnthouse. There’s also a rooftop swimming pool on the 18th floor anchored by Watr at the Rooftop for cocktails and inventive sushi. Of course, you can’t go wrong on a cushy lounge chair in the sand with the Atlantic Ocean lapping against the shore.
Faena's pool and beach scene are as lavish as its interiors
Faena Hotel Miami Beach
The brainchild of visionary hotelier Alan Faena, his eponymous hotel is an exquisite escape on Miami Beach in a luxuriant color palette of red, gold and animal print. Faena Hotel Miami Beach's beach scene is as lavish as the hotel’s interiors, with red umbrellas and lounge chair cushions creating a striking contrast against the aquamarine ocean. Here, beach attendants will clean your sunglasses, provide sunscreen and even wash the sand off your feet. If you choose to lounge by the beautifully landscaped pool, you’ll be in good company with a work of art by contemporary master Damien Hirst. His sculpture “Gone But Not Forgotten” is a gold-dipped woolly mammoth skeleton resting inside a glass case on the pool deck.
The original diving platform still exists at the Miami Beach Edition
The Miami Beach Edition
Situated inside a historic mid-century modern building on a double lot overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, The Miami Beach EDITION has retained the property’s throwback charm and blended it with modern luxury. The poolscape features a grassy lawn with two swimming pools, one featuring a restoration of the original diving platform. The lawn is anchored by the Tropicale bar, which resides inside a cabana with a rooftop spire surrounded by cushions for lounging. Out on the beach, stylish black-and-white striped lounge chair cushions and umbrellas greet you for an afternoon alternating between toes in the sand and dips in the ocean.
The storied Fontainebleau Miami Beach's island cabana
Fontainebleau Miami Beach
For a storied oceanfront resort where Frank Sinatra once held court and scenes from James Bond’s GoldenFinger was filmed, there’s nothing like the fabulous Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Designed by architect Morris Lapidus in 1954, it oozes Miami Modern style with curvilinear lines, original bowtie tile floors in the lobby and one of the most lavish oceanfront poolscapes in Miami Beach. Whether you spend the day sunning at the beach, lounging by the pool or unwinding at Lapis Spa, the Fontainebleau offers a stylish, all-encompassing oceanfront resort experience.
W South Beach offers restaurant and bar service right to your chair
W South Beach
Boasting an oversized oceanfront swimming pool tucked away behind neatly manicured seagrape hedges, W South Beach is a favorite hideaway for the celebrity set. The oceanfront resort boasts a beautiful stretch of sand in South Beach beneath bright pink and white umbrellas where beach attendants know how to provide VIP treatment to all guests. Delight in a gourmet menu, cocktails and fine wine delivered from the hotel’s onsite restaurant and bar straight to your beach chair.
Lagoon-style oceanfront pool at Loews Miami Beach Hotel
Loews Miami Beach Hotel
One of the most family-friendly oceanfront resorts in Miami Beach, the Loews Miami Beach offers its lavish lagoon-style oceanfront swimming pool, VIP Soak cabanas and the Sobe Kids Club. Drop off the little ones for full- or half-day programming at their interactive clubhouse featuring an indoor, larger-than-life lifeguard hut, craft area, TVs, video games and a Rec Room space for teens and tweens. The resort is also home to a collection of dining experiences featuring local Miami purveyors, including Azucar Ice Cream Company.
The Setai pools lead to the Ocean Grill and ultimately to the ocean
The Setai
At 40 stories high, The Setai Condo Residence is the tallest building in Miami Beach, looming large over the Atlantic Ocean. This luxurious Zen-chic retreat draws inspiration from Asian cultures for a minimalist approach to design in a palette of subdued black, hardwood and gold tones throughout the hotel. The poolscape features three parallel swimming pools that lead to The Ocean Grill beneath a tall wood-beamed cabana overlooking the ocean. At the beach, sink into a luxe lounge chair and enjoy the utter peacefulness of this oceanfront resort.
The rooftop sundeck at The Betsy offers beautiful ocean views
The Betsy - South Beach
A rare example of Florida-Georgian architecture on Art Deco-laden Ocean Drive, The Betsy – South Beach is a chic oceanfront retreat in the heart of Miami Beach. While you cross the street and traverse Lummus Park to access the beach, you’ll enjoy the most classic of South Beach scenes along the way. The hotel is home to one of the best pizzerias in Miami, The Alley, which is situated on the corner of the property on a narrow alleyway leading to the beach. Enjoy Neapolitan-style pizza in the casual yet stylish dining room, or order from the window where you can also grab a gelato. Look up and you’ll spy The Betsy Orb, which serves as a functional bridge connecting the two Betsy buildings over the alleyway between Collins Ave and Ocean Drive. Works are displayed inside the Orb to allow guests to understand where they are. It seemingly defies gravity.
SLS South Beach poolscape and Instagram-worthy duck
SLS South Beach
SLS South Beach is a luxuriously chic seaside retreat featuring guest rooms and suites by trendsetting designer Philippe Starck. He turned to the hedonistic tastes of 18th-century French aristocrats for inspiration. Lenny Kravitz designed the Tower Penthouse and the Villa Penthouse, drawing from his travels and rock star lifestyle. The stylish Hyde beach club is equally extravagant, while restaurants by chefs José Andrés and Katsuya Uechi offer inspired cuisine in breathtaking surroundings.
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